Grindstone Reviews
Compelling to a fault, with a hypnotic and exhilarating central conceit, Grindstone is a tiny bit special. Hopefully, it won't be dismissed by players for being a mobile port, or being mistaken for a "match-three" game akin to Candy Crush – it's not. A full-featured, elegantly designed experience, Capybara's action-puzzle-tactics game is a tiny marvel and we'd strongly recommend it to any and all Switch owners. Ever-so-slight resource exhaustion is the only thing letting it down, but it's easily forgiven when smashing seven shades of shawarma out of creeps is so flipping fun. We say it's time to reverse that well-worn idiom and put your yes to the Grindstone.
A puzzling masterpiece, Grindstone is easy to learn but hard to master. With a ridiculous amount of content and varied gameplay, Grindstone is the total package.
Grindstone is a puzzle classic, and Capybara Games have ensured that its transition to PS5 is flawless.
Another hit puzzle game from Capybara Games. Not on par with their Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, yet a very fine experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
One of the best puzzle games of the last decade, with its mix of tactical puzzle-solving, extreme violence, and charming visuals.
Grindstone is one of the most addictive games I have played this year. A beautiful presentation melded with a rewarding, visceral gameplay loop makes you not want to put it down. Grindstone is a bright, Saturday morning cartoon where you can meet weird people, and chop up endles amount of cute characters, what's not to like? I cannot recommend it enough, Grindstone is brilliant.
The Apple Arcade showpiece arrives on Nintendo's portable.
Grindstone‘s premise is simple in the best way possible: this is the sort of puzzle game that really gets its claws into you and doesn’t let go. Getting a high score in a daily challenge is a thrill, and getting a record-breaking chain is oh-so-satisfying. It helps that it looks fantastic, too, with a sumptuous hand-drawn art style. If you’re after a casual puzzle game with some substance, you really can’t get any better than this. Just prepare yourself to be unable to put it down.
Grindstone is an example of a game which hits all the right notes and keeps up a quality in gameplay throughout that many struggle to maintain. The divine gameplay mechanics give a wonderful sense of control in spite of the randomness of how enemies fall, and the inputs of buying equipment or using currency to give temporary boosts gives ample opportunity for improvisation if things don't go quite your way. I only wish there were more to play.
Grindstone is the sort of puzzler that appeals to hardcore genre fans and casual gamers alike with its immediately gratifying gameplay.
There’s nothing I like more than a surprise game that shows up, slaps you around a bit, and leaves you thirsting for more...
"Grind puzzle levels instead of gears."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Announced and then immediately released in December’s Indie World Showcase, Grindstone immediately piqued my interest. With its colourful art style and combo-puzzling, is this a game worth climbing up Grindstone mountain for? Find out in my Rapid Review.
If you’re into its visual style and addictive, puzzling experiences then Grindstone stands with the best of ‘em.
Candy Crush essentially created the formula that Grindstone and so many others follow. It is just something that needs to be noted before walking into it though.
Grindstone is a simple dungeon crawler bursting with charm and instant gratification. The short, engaging gameplay loop is good enough to never get boring, no matter how many times I went through it. It’s effective, fun and addictive and has found the perfect portable home on the Nintendo Switch.
Grindstone uses simple mechanics in an elegant way in an exceptional puzzle. Creating sequences of attacks during the stages is easy and intuitive, but the increasing difficulty forces us to think strategically - it is very rewarding to clear the board with a well thought out combo or to get out of a complicated situation unscathed. New elements are introduced constantly, invigorating the experience frequently, even though some problems, such as peaks of difficulty, are a little annoying. These qualities, together with a stylish colorful look and a lot of content, make Grindstone an addictive game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Honestly, Grindstone is a game I’m ecstatic I finally got to try. If I hadn’t known it was originally for mobile, I wouldn’t have believed it. This is a high-quality adventure, and a reason I keep following the work of Capybara Games. It’s full of content, amazing art, and challenge galore. Yet it never gets so hard that I decided to stop playing for very long. Honestly, this is the best puzzle game I’ve played in a decade. It’s tremendous fun, and the only real downside is that sometimes the difficulty will spike unexpectedly. If you have a Nintendo Switch and are looking for a game to grind away the hours, this is a wonderful choice.